Trenching machine



Octso, 1934. F.YOCUM 1,978,733

TRENCHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1934 Patented Oct. 30, 1934 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRENCHING MACHINE Charles F. Yoeum, Findlay, Ohio, assigner to The Bluekeye Traction- Ditcher Company, Findlay, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 13 5 Claims.

, 1 0 such buckets to permit limited movements thereof relative to the asscciated buckets whereby distortion of the fingers by reason of the wedging action of rocks or material acted on is reduced to a minimum.

, l5 The invention is fully described in the following Specification, and one embodiment `thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing,l in

Figure `1 is a side elevation of a bucket embodying the invention mounted on an excavating wheeL; with the latter fragmentarily shown; Fig. 2 isa front elevation of the bucket with the attached rim members of the wheel in Section and with the bucket fingers partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line `fil-1l in Fig. l, with a part in full; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5--5 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one or" the rooter tooth-holding keys.

Referring to the drawing, 1-1 designate the laterally spaced rim members of an excavating wheel, which members carry and have their outer peripheral edges connected by a plurality of excavating buckets 2 arranged in successive: equidistantly spaced order around the wheel, as well understood in the art. Each `bucket2, which is cast, or otherwise suitably formed, is of U-shape andhas the free edges of its `sides attached to the outer edgeportions of the rim `members by bolts or rivets 3, or inany other suitable manner, the open side of the U formed by the buckets be,-

ing toward the axis of the wheel.

Each bucket, at the forward edge of its loop or bottom portion, is preferably thickened or made heavier than other portions of the bucket, and such thickened portion is provided with a plurality of sockets 4 extending rearwardly from the forward or nose edge of the bucket and adapted to receive the Shanks of rooter teeth 5. In the present instance, the bucket is provided with live of such sockets, three beingarranged across the bottom portion of the bucket and one at each side of the bucket adjacent to the bottom portion, the latter to receive side cutting or corner teeth 5a.

The Side or corner Sockets 4 and the shanks of 1934, Serial No. 706,447

the teeth received thereby are preferably of llexagonal form in cross-Section, so that the teeth may be mounted therein in different adjusted relation to theibucket. For instance, in Fig. 2 the side teeth 5a are shown as having theirk cutting noses. parallel to the side walls of a trench being cut or at right angles to the cutting noses of the other teeth, se that these side teeth serve to trim the sides of the trench inltrue or substantially true parallel relation during the digging action.

In Fig. 4, one of the side teeth 5a is shown as mounted in its Socket in a manner to Shift the tooth nose one-sixth or the way around relative to the socket axis, so that such cuttingnose is disposed at an incline to the cutting noses of the other teeth 5, or `in position to provide a bevelform of cut at the. respective corner of the trench. There isan advantage in this adjustment of the teeth, as in some jobs it is desirable to havetloe side `cutters disposed in parallel cutting relation, while in other jobs it is desirable tohave the side teeth disposed to provide a bevel cut in the` trench corners. i Y

To facilitate rigid locking of the teeth in the bucket` sockets, and at the same time permit easy removal of the teeth for replacement, repair or adjustment, each tooth extends at .its rear end beyond the rear end of the respective bucket socket 4, the socket being open for Such purpose, and the extended end of the tooth is provided with a notch 6 preferably extending entirely around the tooth shank and disposedwith its forward wall substantially flush with the rear end of the socket. The notches 6 are engaged by keys 7, which keys are inserted through slots 8 provided in the socketed portion of the 4bucket between each pair of sockets 4 in which the teeth 5 are disposed, so that each key 7 is interposed between the Shanks of two teeth 5 and is adapted to engage the notches therein, as best shown in Fig. 5. Each tooth 7 is of substantially V or tapered form, the slots 8 being o`f` corresponding form or taper with their large ends outermost and the inner or apex endiof each key is providedwith a tongue 9. adapted to be projected beyond the inner side of the bucket wall and to be bent over at the inner side of the respective slot 8 in locking engagement with the inner side of the bucket wall. The tongues 9 preferably terminate within respective recesses 10 provided between the Sockets 4 at the inner of the teeth for removal from the sockets when desired.

Each bucket 2 is provided at its rear end with a plurality of rearwardly and inwardly extending rods forming fingers 11, in the present instance two in number, which are common in buckets of this character, but which, so far as I am aware, have been rigidly secured to the buckets. It is found, in practice, that in use the ngers 11, when rigidly attached to the buckets, are frequently bent and distorted by the forcing of stones and heavy gumbo material past them, both during the excavating operation and the cleaning operation, in which latter stripper members are passed through the bucket and between or at the sides of the fingers. The frequency of such distorting of the ngers depends largely on the condition of the soil in which the machine is operating. When such distorting of the ngers occurs, it is necessary, in order to continue eiiicient operation of the machine, to bend the ngers back in place, thus requiring frequent stopping of the excavating operations for that purpose with a consequent loss of time and labor.

It is found in practice that by mounting the ngers to the buckets in a manner to permit slight lateral movements of the fingers relative thereto, the ngers will perform their functions in practically as eiicient a manner as when rigidly attached to the buckets and will prevent, to a very considerable extent, the distorting or bending of the fingers, which results during the digging and cleaning operations when the fingers are rigid.

The advantage of this discovery is obtained by providing sockets 12 in the rear edge of the cross portion of the cross or bottom portion of the bucket into which the forward ends of the fingers 11 are inserted and making the sockets slightly larger in cross-section than the cross-sectional shape of the iingers, so as to permit limited lateral movements of the iingers therein. Each finger is secured in its socket by a rivet or pivot member 13 disposed near the inner end of the socket and having their axes extended toward the center of the wheel. lIhis forms a pivotal connection for the finger which permits limited lateral swinging movements thereof, the extent of which depends on the amount of play provided for between the iinger and socket wall.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specic construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A bucket of the class described, having laterally spaced forwardly opening sockets in its nose portion and a key-receiving socket extending through the wall of the bucket between said nose sockets in intersecting relation thereto, rooter teeth having shanks removably mounted in said rst sockets and provided with transverse notches adapted to register with the key socket, and a key mounted in said key socket with portions engaging the notches of the teeth disposed in said first sockets to prevent removal of the teeth from the sockets, said key having provision for preventing its withdrawal from its socket.

2. A bucket of the class described, having forwardly opening sockets in its nose portion and a key-receiving socket between said iirst sockets transverse thereto and in intersecting relation to each, said key socket having a V-shaped mouth portion, rooter teeth having shanks removably mounted in said nose socket and provided with transverse notches in register with said key socket, and a V-shaped key mounted in said key socket with portions engaging the notches in each of said teeth and having a tongue portion extending interiorly of the bucket and bendable into locking engagement with the bucket.

3. A bucket of the class described, having a forwardly opening corner socket in its nose portion, a side cutting rooter tooth having its shank mounted in said sockets and having a transverse cutting edge at its outer end, the socket and tooth shank being of out-of-round complemental form in cross-section to permit the tooth being mounted therein to place its cutting edge in different positions of angular adjustment.

4. A bucket of the class described, having forwardly opening corner and intermediate sockets in its nose portion, rooter teeth having shanks mounted in said sockets with transverse cutting noses at their outer ends offset from the longitudinal axes of the tooth shanks, the shanks of the corner teeth and the respective corner sockets being of out-of-round complemental form in cross-section to permit the corner teeth being mounted therein in diierent positions of angular adjustment to permit the placing of the cutting edges of the teeth in different predetermined angular relation to the cutting edges of the intermediate teeth.

5. A bucket of the class described, having forwardly opening corner and intermediate sockets in its nose portion, rooter teeth having shanks mounted in said sockets with transverse cutting noses at their outer ends offset from the longitudinal axes of the teeth shanks, the shanks of the corner teeth and the respective corner sockets being of complemental hexagonal form in cross-section to permit the corner teeth being mounted therein in different positions of angular adjustment to permit the placing of the cutting edges of the teeth in predetermined angular relation to the cutting edges of the intermediate teeth, and releasable means connecting the teeth shanks and bucket for holding them in rigid relation.

CHARLES F. YOCUM. 

